Sr. Cost Management Analyst

Pella Corporation; Gettysburg (Adams County); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Pella Corporation in Gettysburg, PA seeks a Senior Cost Management Analyst to serve as the on-site finance partner. You will drive cost accounting, inventory controls, and FP&A support for plant leadership, with a focus on accurate reporting and productivity improvements.

Collaborating with Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing, and Corporate Finance, you will develop dashboards, perform variance analysis, and ensure strong internal controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Operations, or related field and 5+ years in manufacturing finance/cost accounting/FP&A.
• Experience partnering with operations to drive performance improvement.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (modeling, pivots, lookups).
• Experience with ERP modules and cost accounting in manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Partner with plant leadership to analyze manufacturing costs, drivers, and profitability; translate results into actions.
• Develop and publish dashboards for labor, overhead, yield/waste, and other drivers to inform decisions.
• Own inventory accuracy, valuation, and timely transactions; manage year‑end inventory and cycle counts.
• Support month‑end/quarter‑end close, review inventory entries and variances; explain impacts to leadership.
• Collaborate with Engineering/Operations on standard cost and process change impacts to ensure cost accuracy.
• Maintain internal controls and audit readiness for plant financial processes.

Skills

Excel modeling

Cost accounting

FP&A partnering

Manufacturing finance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

Tools

ERP systems

Power BI

Job description

The Senior Cost Management Analyst serves as the on-site finance partner and cost accounting subject-matter expert for the Gettysburg, PA plant. This role partners closely with Plant Leadership, Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing, and Corporate Finance/FP&A to improve visibility to plant performance, strengthen cost and inventory controls, and support decision-making through accurate reporting, budgeting, and forecasting. Success in this role is measured by timely/accurate inventory valuation and reporting, clear variance explanations that drive corrective actions, and sustained progress against productivity and cost commitments.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Other duties may be assigned)

FP&A, plant performance, and decision support

• Partner with manufacturing leaders to analyze manufacturing costs, performance drivers, and profitability; translate results into clear actions and recommendations.
• Develop, maintain, and publish performance measurement tools/dashboards for targeted manufacturing areas (labor, overhead, yield/waste, and other key drivers) to improve decision‑making across levels of the organization.

Inventory, controls, and audit readiness

• Own inventory accuracy, reporting, and valuation for the Gettysburg plant; establish and improve processes to ensure timely, accurate transactions (receipts, issues, adjustments, and production reporting).
• Coordinate and manage year‑end physical inventory and periodic cycle counts/WIP audits; investigate variances, drive corrective actions, and document root causes and controls.
• Support month‑end/quarter‑end close activities for plant operations, including review of inventory‑related entries, accruals, and manufacturing variances; prepare clear explanations for leadership reviews.
• Partner with Engineering/Operations on standard cost and process change impacts (e.g., BOM/routing changes where applicable) to ensure cost accuracy and strong change controls.
• Maintain strong internal controls and audit readiness for plant financial processes; ensure documentation is current and support internal/external audit requests as needed.

Budgeting, forecasting, and productivity improvement

• Lead and coordinate the quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting processes for plant manufacturing costs, including labor, overhead, waste/yield, and key operating assumptions.
• Identify productivity and cost reduction opportunities with Manufacturing, Engineering, Marketing/Brand, and Finance; document initiatives, quantify benefits, track progress, and provide regular visibility to results.
• Present key performance insights and financial results to plant leadership on a regular cadence; facilitate discussions that drive corrective actions and sustain improvements.

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree (B.S./B.A.) in Accounting, Finance, Business, Operations, or a related field from a four-year college or university; and 5+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing finance, cost accounting, and/or plant FP&A (or an equivalent combination of education and experience). Experience partnering with operations and driving performance improvement is strongly preferred.

Computer Skills

Advanced proficiency in Excel (modeling, pivot tables, lookups, and data validation). Proficient in Word and PowerPoint. Experience with ERP systems and manufacturing/cost accounting modules required. Power BI (or similar BI/reporting tools) experience preferred.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This role is based at a manufacturing plant and requires regular time on the production floor. Personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in designated areas in accordance with site safety policies.

The noise level in the work environment is moderate 50 percent of the time and loud 50 percent of the time.